The Wild have been insinuating that 2016 first-round pick Luke Kunin will have to start this season with the Iowa Wild, but that was all but cemented Friday when the prized rookie revealed that he won’t be cleared for contact until at least early October.

That means Kunin, who is coming off surgery to repair a torn left ACL, won’t play any exhibition games.

“For me personally, as an organization, we’re being smart about this,” Kunin said after the first day of training camp Friday. “Not too much contact right now, which can be a little frustrating. But we’re thinking long-term. But I felt good, and it was fun to be out there.”

Kunin partook in practice, but he wasn’t cleared to take part in coach Bruce Boudreau’s notorious skating test.

Still, he feels ready, personally, and it’s easy to see how disappointed he is to be treated with kid gloves after such a tedious offseason of rehab.